Read Up: A Guide to Books on Preppy-ness.

Alright, so we've all heard about the Preppy lifestyle. But how does it get passed down? From grandmother to daughter to daughter to daughter Preppy has been and will be around for generations. (Mark my words!) But besides word of mouth, is the life of a Preppie recorded anywhere? Well, to answer the question yes, in many places. Or should I say pages?

Thankfully, someone had the brainy idea to start publishing books on how to be preppy. (Note: I've only read a couple of these myself, I found the rest on the web!!) Some titles include:

• The Preppy Handbook (Duh. Will be abbreviated from now on as TPH for future refrences)


• Tipsy in Madras: An 80's Guide to Preppy Drinking (by Johnnie and Mitzy-kind of a sequel to TPH- and I just love the title)
  
• Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining (written by THE prep herself, or highess, Lilly Pulitzer, but is extremely sincere, since it is written more like a diary then anything else)


• Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Holidays (A guide to throwing parties?!? I want to buy this one! The Christmas season IS coming up everyone...)
  
• A Privlaged Life: Celebrating WASP Style (Maybe, I don't want to read this one..., it does however, come "Highly Recommended" from Gail on Amazon.com)


• The Catcher in the Rye (Holden Caulfield was the original preppy bad boy)


• A Seperate Peace (basically the written-but-unwritten code of rules for boarding school- just remember: don't push your friends or break their legs.)

Also, a preppy characterisic is liking to read. This is supposed to be ground into you in high school, but some HS's don't. TPH says, "The school hopes that, upon graduation, you will be a well-rounded young Prep, familiar with the right vacation spots and customs, articulate and witty in conversation, understanding of literary and historical refrences [Holden Caulfield is one of the MOST referenced characters in all of Literature, in my opinion], proficient in the Prep vocation you pursue, capable of making at least one astute comment on any given subject [leave that to your liberal arts colleges, that's why they have a core curriculum...right?]--in short everything necessary for membership at a good country club". Cute right? (Preps know how to write EXTREMELY long sentences...)

Try one of these books anytime soon. If your high school didn't prepare you for the real world, hopefully these books might. Give TPH a look first and it should guide you for awhile, if not forever, and embrace your inner prep!

xx Katie